Introduction
Welcome to my corner! This week, I'm sharing my thoughts on the film The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants. The Emil M. Larson Public Library will be showing The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants as part of their Summer Reading Program Movie Lineup on July 31 at 2:00 p.m. Go and enjoy!
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants is a 2025 American animated adventure comedy film based on the SpongeBob SquarePants television series created by Stephen Hillenburg. Directed by series veteran Derek Drymon, it stars the show's regular voice cast alongside George Lopez, Isis "Ice Spice" Gaston, Arturo Castro, Sherry Cola, Regina Hall and Mark Hamill. The plot follows SpongeBob on a quest to prove his bravery by adventuring with the ghost pirate, the Flying Dutchman, through the Underworld. It is the fourth theatrical film based on the series, following 2020's Sponge on the Run, and the sixth film overall.
The film was written by Pam Brady and Matt Lieberman, from a story by Brady and series creatives Marc Ceccarelli and Kaz. It was first developed as a direct-to-streaming film focused on Mr. Krabs, but the project was later retooled into a theatrical feature with SpongeBob as the lead character instead. By April 2023, Drymon had been hired to direct the film. In July 2024, Hamill was revealed to be voicing the Flying Dutchman in the film in place of Brian Doyle-Murray. John Debney composed the film's score, after having previously scored 2015's Sponge Out of Water.
Search for SquarePants premiered at the AFI Film Festival on October 26, 2025, before holding a premiere in New York City on December 17, and was theatrically released by Paramount Pictures in the United States on December 19. The film received positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success, grossing $169 million worldwide on a budget of $64 million.
Plot: Hoping to prove his bravery to Mr. Krabs, SpongeBob follows a mysterious, swashbuckling ghost pirate known as the Flying Dutchman on a seafaring adventure that takes him to the deepest depths of the ocean.
(Voice) Acting: Unless otherwise specified, the SpongeBob SquarePants franchise is my favorite media for the following actors.
Tom Kenny voices SpongeBob SquarePants and Gary the Snail. The man, the myth, the legend himself. He's easily one of the most well known voice actors today. I like his voice in media other than SpongeBob. His three most notable titles currently include the SpongeBob SquarePants franchise (obviously), Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and Winnie the Pooh (2011). I also love Kenny as the Ice King in the Adventure Time franchise.
Clancy Brown voices Mr. Krabs. Brown also appears in live action as a pirate narrator in the film's prologue. His four most notable titles currently are The Shawshank Redemption, Starship Troopers, Cowboys & Aliens, and Thor: Ragnarok.
Rodger Bumpass voices Squidward Tentacles. His two most notable titles currently include the SpongeBob SquarePants franchise and The Running Man.
Bill Fagerbakke voices Patrick Star. His two most notable titles currently are the SpongeBob SquarePants franchise and Jennifer's Body. I also enjoy him on the How I Met Your Mother television series.
Mark Hamill voices The Flying Dutchman. At San Diego Comic-Con in July 2024, it was announced that Mark Hamill was voicing the Flying Dutchman, in place of his long-time voice actor Brian Doyle-Murray from the series. I love Mark Hamill, but Brian Doyle-Murray MADE The Flying Dutchman character who he was in the series. I'm disappointed he didn't get to reprise his role. To Hamill's credit, he did a great job mimicking the original voice. The Star Wars franchise is his most notable title, obviously.
Regina Hall voices Barb, the Flying Dutchman's assistant. Her four most notable titles currently include One Battle After Another, Scary Movie, Girls Trip, and Law Abiding Citizen.
Minor roles were voiced by: Carolyn Lawrence as Sandy Cheeks; Mr. Lawrence as Plankton; George Lopez as JK Fishlips, a fish executive at Paramount; Isis "Ice Spice" Gaston as the ticket taker fish; Arturo Castro as a Santa Monica ride operator; Sherry Cola as a studio spokesperson and a Krusty Krab patron.
Background information: Reel FX Animation was the main animation provider for the film. Liz Hemme served as the visual effects supervisor for the film. Visually, Drymon wanted to avoid hyper-realism or stylized CGI meant to mimic 2D animation. Inspired by the 1960s plasticware and toys, he directed Reel FX to create a style that he felt looked more handmade and true to SpongeBob. This philosophy extended to every aspect of the film's visuals and encouraged the team to dial back realistic textures that they felt could be distracting and too incongruent with SpongeBob's cartoony world.
Drawing from the series' past, mixed media became intrinsic to the visual language. Drymon embraced imperfections and said: "visual inconsistency isn't a flaw to be corrected; it's a tool for comedy, particularly in a world that thrives on surprise and absurdity". The visual palette of the film was drawn from SpongeBob and various live-action inspirations such as Sami Raimi and Coen brothers films, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Three O'Clock High (1987). Head of story Mark O'Hare said, "We're making fun of these movies but also honoring them," and added: "The contrast between SpongeBob's world and those dynamic 3D cinematic styles is a big part of the fun". To emulate the feeling of Bikini Bottom stretching endlessly like it often does in the series, the team "had to dress environments to camera almost all the time" as opposed to building a set than shooting in it like in most other CG productions.
John Debney was confirmed to compose the score for the film in April 2025, after having previously composed the score for The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015). Ice Spice performed an original song for the film, "Big Guy", which released in November 2025; it is not included in the film's soundtrack. The soundtrack was released on December 19, 2025, on MOD-providers by Milan Records and Paramount Music.
Final Thoughts: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants is not the first sequel to the original SpongeBob SquarePants movie from 2004, and unfortunately, it is far from the last. The farther they stretch the franchise, the worse it gets. I used to love SpongeBob, but now it's just a cash cow with no heart. Kiddos will probably enjoy this movie, but adults will only be able to handle one viewing.
My favorite scene was where Mr. Krabs, Squidward and Gary drive through the high school to find Davy Jones' locker. I particularly enjoyed the dodgeball part.
My favorite quote is "Destiny is squeezing my buns!" —SpongeBob SquarePants.
Rated: PG
Where to watch it: According to Google, The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants is available to watch with a subscription on Paramount+, MGM+, YouTube, The Roku Channel, fuboTV, Sling TV, Amazon Prime, YouTube TV, and Philo. Or you can purchase or rent a digital copy for a few dollars.
The Emil M. Larson Public Library will be showing The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants as part of their Summer Reading Program Movie Lineup on July 31 at 2:00 p.m. Go and enjoy!
